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Tuesday, June 27, 2017

The Steadfast Pen - Blog Launch

Hallo, everyone!

Today is going to have a special post! My brother, Josiah Dyck, just launched his blog last Friday and he asked me to do a blog launch for him. (I said yes, of course. Wouldn't want me to be a mean sister, now would we?)

His blog is called The Steadfast Pen. (Nifty title, right?) He is going to do posts about books and writing and a bunch of other cool things on there! You can check out his blog here.

So for this blog launch I'm doing an interview with him. My sisters and another follow blogger did blog launch interviews too.

Here's links for them all:


My interview with Josiah is about bookish things because this blog has to do with books. (Obviously.)  

The Steadfast Pen Interview


Chloe: What's your favorite book genre?

Josiah: Ooh, that's an easy one! My favorite genre is fantasy, particularly YA fantasy. Though I suppose some series I like are placed under the MG fantasy section, so there's that too. I also like action/adventure, along with other genres, but fantasy is definitely my favorite.

Chloe: What book world do you wish you could live in?

Josiah: I'm going to give a twofold answer and say that, if the world had to be one of my own creations, I'd choose either Yashan from my Darkened Slumber story or the world in The Portal Chronicles, which I have yet to rename. (The original name was too similar to other made-up world names.) If I had to live in someone else's world, I would probably pick Middle-Earth or Araluen (from the Ranger's Apprentice series).

Chloe: Which book character that you have read is most like you?

Josiah: Boy, I've read about a lot of characters; choosing one is gonna be hard. Maybe Hal from the Brotherband Chronicles, or perhaps Sam Hopkins from Crazy Dangerous. Hal and I are both creative people who can sometimes be overlooked by others, and sometimes our ideas don't work out because we missed a small detail, which frustrates us to no end. Sam feels very relatable because he wants to do the right thing, but he can get scared about what he has to do. He's willing to see past what others say and dig down to the heart of the matter. I dunno, these two guys feel similar to me in some regards.

Chloe: What is your favorite book? (Besides the Bible. ;D )

Josiah: There goes my answer. XD Well, I can't really pick just one book or series that's my favorite. But one of my favorite stand-alone books is Vigilante by Robin Parrish. Because, you know, I love superhero stories, and this one had a lot of amazing themes in it, with great character arcs and interesting characters. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it.

Chloe: Do you like reading classics?

Josiah: Depends on the classic, I think. I mean, I love The Lord of the Rings, Jules Verne's stories, Hamlet, etc. But I feel there are some classics I just can't get into, and won't ever read, such as The Pilgrim's Progress or Pride and Prejudice or anything like that. The classic has to interest me in some way to get me reading it. 

Chloe: What main book genre have you never read?

Josiah: I have never, and probably will never, read horror. Creepy thrillers I can handle. Horror is a completely different story, and yes, that pun was intentional. It's a genre that tends to get very weird and dark very quickly. (My original answer was going to be romance, but I have read a romance trilogy, so I couldn't use that as my response.)

Chloe: If you could only read three books for the rest of your life and nothing else, what would they be?

Josiah: Seriously? I have to pick only three books? Well, if I have to. I'd pick the Bible (particularly in the Voice translation), Vigilante by Robin Parrish, and Burning Thorns by Christine Smith. Those were the first three answers off the top of my head. If I thought about it too long, I'd never be able to decide. XD

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Chloe: Have you ever read Peter Pan, if not would you? (If you haven't read it and won't read it, you are no longer my brother. XD Kidding! Maybe.)

Josiah: I have never read Peter Pan in my life, and I never will . . . just kidding. I might pick it up sometime, especially if our sibling relationship is in the balance. I'd have to see if it's my kind of classic story.

Chloe: What is the most hated book you have ever read?

Josiah: Vanish by Tom Pawlik is one of my least favorite books that I have ever read--and the sad thing is that it's a Christian fiction story. I hate it when Christian fiction authors seem to think that they can get away with a poorer quality of writing and cram preachy messages into it. I don't remember a whole lot about the story, but what I do remember is that I slogged through it and didn't enjoy it. The premise sounded decent, but the execution was sloppy. I can't recommend this book to anyone, even though it won an award. I'm really not sure how.

Chloe: What's your favorite villain? And why?

Josiah: I have many favorite villains, but Lord Burleigh from the Bright Empires series by Stephen R. Lawhead. Why? Because he's a ruthless and roguish gentleman, which makes for a pretty awesome villain in my books. And then there are other reasons that I can't disclose, due to spoilery things.

Chloe: What's your favorite weapon that you have read in a book?

Josiah: I'd have to say the Word from the Beyonders trilogy by Brandon Mull. Again, I cannot really give my reasons why because they involve spoilers. Just go read the series yourself and you'll see why!

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Chloe: How many pages is a happy length of a book for you?

Josiah: Mmm, I'd have to say 300-450 pages is a pretty comfortable length for me. Anything less than the 300 feels too short in my mind, for the most part. If it exceeds 450 pages, and it's not an interesting book, I can get bored of reading the same book--if that makes sense.

Chloe: Which book series have you wished would be longer, but it isn't?

Josiah: I'd have to say either the Montmorency series or the Imperial Commando series. The last book of the first series ended off on a huge cliffhanger, and there was never another book, which was frustrating. The Imperial Commando series had picked off where the Republic Commando series left off, but there was only one book published. I had wanted to find out what happened to the characters, so it was disappointing that I never did.

Chloe: Which book would you really want to be a movie and why?

Josiah: It's not really a book, but I want the Ranger's Apprentice series to be adapted into a movie. Then again, it'd probably be multiple movies. If they have a big budget and a great cast, they would make awesome movies. At least, that's my opinion.

Chloe: If you could only talk to people about one book, which one would it be?

Josiah: I'm going to exclude the Bible for this question and say . . . one of my own! XD I really don't know. I can't choose just one book to talk about. I'm just going to pick a random one and say A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull. Like I said, picking one is super difficult.

Josiah: Thanks for having me here on your blog, Chloe! ^_^

Chloe: You're so welcome, bro! I liked reading what you had to say about books.

What did you guys think of the interview? I hoped you enjoyed it. And if you want to read more of Josiah's stuffins click here!

Saturday, June 24, 2017

The Throne of Fire - Book Review

A few weeks ago I read The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan and I kinda feel like doing a little review of what I thought of it. (Beware if you have not read this book there may be a few spoilers!)

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This book was kinda meh for me. I didn't feel like I connected with the characters as much as I had with the Percy Jackson series. It was good, but just not quite the same quality as Mr. Riordan's first series.

Yeah Points  
  • The Kane siblings can be a funny pair.
  • It has a cool looking cover!  
  • The chapter called The House of the Helpful Hippo had an interesting idea about forgotten gods. 
  • The Duat is definitely a place I don't wanna go to... (And that's a good thing when it comes to reading books.)
  • As far as creepy looking bad guys go, Vlad is totally up close to the top.
  • Ra was a hilarious old man, who spoke gibberish.
  • Anubis is a awesome looking character. (I mean, who wouldn't like a thousand year old god that looks like a teenage biker complete with a black leather jacket?) 

Nah Points
  • I'm not sure what to make of the "balance between Chaos and Ma'at." It's a little weird, to be honest. 
  • Sadie uses God's name in vain a few too many times. 
  • The belief in Ma'at feels a lot like it's trying to be like Christian belief but in the wrong way. 
  • Vlad sacrifices a demon to the god Chaos.
  • At one point in the book, it makes it sound like Moses from the Bible was a Magician (AKA. it was the power of the gods that made Moses able to part the waters).

All in all, I wouldn't say this was the worst book ever. But it's just not my favorite. 

If you have read The Throne of Fire, what do you think of it?

Monday, June 12, 2017

Summer Bucket List

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Hey guys! Sorry for taking an unsaid hiatus from blogging for a month! I'll try to do more blog posts this summer.

Wow, I can hardly believe it's summer! (Well, technically speaking it's not summer till June 20th, but it sure feels like summer out there! So I think it counts to say it's summer already, right?) I love almost everything about summer. The birds are singing outside. The grass and trees look so much more livelier. There's no school. More time to read. Beaches to go to. Ice cream to eat. Flowers are blooming everywhere. Even yellow dandelions make things look cheerful.

Yes, it's true, I love summer.  

And to celebrate summer, I'm going to do a Summer Bucket list.

My Summer Bucket List:


  • Hang out with my family lots
  • Draw lots more manga
  • Bike as much as possible
  • Read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (never read this book, but I got it at a book fair and heard it's good)
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  • Eat lots of candy
  • Read Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie (I love this book so much, I have to read it again)
  • Paint online more
  • Write my essay for school that I was supposed to actually do in the school year, not in summer
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  • Read outside lots
  • Read more of the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage (the first book was so awesome)
  • Learn to cook and bake things better
  • Keep up my daily journal that I started this month
  • Blog more frequently
  • Read a play (anyone have a suggestion on which play?)
  • Draw chibi tons
  • Buy books
  • Read a classic
  • Rollerblade and skateboard more 
  • Have the best summer ever! 

What's your favorite thing about summer? What did you think of my summer bucket list? What's on your summer bucket list?